～て頂戴【～てちょうだい】

The grammar structure ～て頂戴（ちょうだい） is an informal way to make a request, meaning "please do ~". It attaches to the て-form of a verb and functions similarly to ～てください but with a softer, more casual tone.

Usage and nuance

～てちょうだい is predominantly used in casual, familiar speech. It is most commonly heard from women, mothers speaking to children, or older people addressing those close to them. It carries a warm, intimate, or sometimes slightly insistent tone that ～てください does not have.

Because of its casual and somewhat feminine or maternal register, it would sound out of place in formal or business settings. In those contexts, ～てください or ～ていただけますか would be appropriate instead.

Positive and negative requests

For positive requests (asking someone to do something), simply attach ちょうだい to the て-form:

For negative requests (asking someone not to do something), use ～ないでちょうだい:

Comparison with ～てくれ and ～てください

• 〜～てください – polite request, suitable for most situations
• 〜～てくれ – casual and direct, typically used by males
• ～てちょうだい – casual and soft, often used by women or to children

Written form

While the kanji form ちょうだい頂戴 exists, this grammar pattern is most commonly written in hiragana as ちょうだい when used as a request.